Chickenless Chicken Nuggets
Oct. 15th, 2003 06:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thistlechaserI wanted to use the actual product name as the subject line of this post, but I was too lazy to get up and go to the kitchen to check it, so I Googled for it. Would you believe that doing a search for 'trader joe chicken nuggets' gives my LJ as the second result? That's rather odd.
And so were the nuggets!
Okay, not really. If I hadn't known they weren't really chicken, there's no way I would have ever guessed. Upon opening the bag, (thanks to my Japanese candy training) the first thing I did was take a sniff to see what they smelled like. Exactly like chicken nugget smell.
So I baked up a few of them (and had to give them longer than the bag said, because they were still cool to the touch after the recommended 8-10 minutes), and put them on my plate. They were a little heavier than chicken nuggets would be, but if I hadn't been looking for differences, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
Now at this point, you have to understand that there are two voices in my head. One said 'They look right and smell right, and other people said they taste just like chicken nuggets. You cannot throw them away without at least trying one.' Reasonable. But the other voice in my head was screaming 'NEW! NEW! IT'S GOING TO BE GROSS! DON'T EVEN TAKE A BITE!'. But I can't really afford to dismiss something that will not only give me more meal choices, but a high-protein option at that, so I tried it.
They even looked like chicken inside the coating; it was really amazing. Since I was looking for differences, I picked up in a really tiny little difference in taste, but if someone had handed them to me without saying what they were, I wouldn't have noticed it. (But still, even after I tried one and decided I liked them, that voice was still going 'THROW THEM OUT! ARE YOU INSANE? IT'S NOT REALLY CHICKEN! IT'S SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT! IT'S GROSS!'.)
Some sort of dipping sauce would have made them perfect. I put some sweet and sour sauce on them and that made them totally passable as chicken -- I couldn't tell any difference at all except in weight.
I'll be buying them again, even though that other voice is still calling me insane for planning to do so.
And so were the nuggets!
Okay, not really. If I hadn't known they weren't really chicken, there's no way I would have ever guessed. Upon opening the bag, (thanks to my Japanese candy training) the first thing I did was take a sniff to see what they smelled like. Exactly like chicken nugget smell.
So I baked up a few of them (and had to give them longer than the bag said, because they were still cool to the touch after the recommended 8-10 minutes), and put them on my plate. They were a little heavier than chicken nuggets would be, but if I hadn't been looking for differences, I probably wouldn't have noticed.
Now at this point, you have to understand that there are two voices in my head. One said 'They look right and smell right, and other people said they taste just like chicken nuggets. You cannot throw them away without at least trying one.' Reasonable. But the other voice in my head was screaming 'NEW! NEW! IT'S GOING TO BE GROSS! DON'T EVEN TAKE A BITE!'. But I can't really afford to dismiss something that will not only give me more meal choices, but a high-protein option at that, so I tried it.
They even looked like chicken inside the coating; it was really amazing. Since I was looking for differences, I picked up in a really tiny little difference in taste, but if someone had handed them to me without saying what they were, I wouldn't have noticed it. (But still, even after I tried one and decided I liked them, that voice was still going 'THROW THEM OUT! ARE YOU INSANE? IT'S NOT REALLY CHICKEN! IT'S SOMETHING NEW AND DIFFERENT! IT'S GROSS!'.)
Some sort of dipping sauce would have made them perfect. I put some sweet and sour sauce on them and that made them totally passable as chicken -- I couldn't tell any difference at all except in weight.
I'll be buying them again, even though that other voice is still calling me insane for planning to do so.
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no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 08:28 pm (UTC)Glad to be entertaining!
no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-10-15 10:08 pm (UTC)No, I don't really like spicy things, but there are other fake-meat things I still want to try. There was a "ribs and BBQ sauce" one that people said was good, I think that one will be next on my list when I to go TJ.
(And that's a really great icon, too! It works for Halloween, but it's pretty in general, as well.)
no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 04:23 am (UTC)I personally can't stand chicken nuggets because they're usually made out of chopped up and extruded patties with god-knows-what in it. I'd much rather have veggie ones with something nice and identifiable. I'd much rather have textured vegetable protein or whatever than possibly eating a big lump of fatty meat by-products.
*g* And yes, I am trying to turn you off chicken nuggets.
no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 07:03 am (UTC)than possibly eating a big lump of fatty meat by-products
I twitched so hard at that, then when I got to your last line giggled loudly. Mission accomplished! :)
no subject
Date: 2003-10-16 07:54 am (UTC)